She Is Strong
by dixin
Summary: Being Hyuuga meant many things, but being head meant more. Centered around Hinata and Hiashi with a dash of Neji in the mix.


Title: She Is Strong

Rating: G

Characters: Hinata, Hyuuga-centric in general

Summary: Being Hyuuga meant many things, but being head meant more.

Spoilers: Naruto fillers, Bikouchuu arc

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The elders said she would never amount to anything and deemed her worthless, going as far to say she didn't possess the barest talent to fulfill her role. Soft, kind, and gentle were not the pillars of the clan. Being Hyuuga meant many things, but being head meant more. It meant showing nothing while knowing everything, wrapping love with ribbons of hate and then it thrust to the recipient without warning. Being Hyuuga Hiashi meant duty.

Duty.

How he despised the word.

He remembers the birth of his eldest daughter and the excitement of the clan. _The heir has been born! _There was much to celebrate and all believed she would be worthy to follow in her father's footsteps. His wife would often whisper right before the birth, _she is strong_ and he would smile. His smile soon faltered the day Hizashi and Neji witnessed his daughter's ineptitude. Stumbling, Hinata's clumsy footwork proved nothing of the bloodline. The heir was weak, and Hiashi was ashamed.

_Aah, she is strong, I can feel it._

He forgot his wife's words.

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Bitter disappointment bled through him as he watched his youngest daughter dominate his eldest in battle. He could no longer bear looking at Hinata anymore. More often than not he wished for his brother to have been born first so he could be spared the embarrassment of burdening the clan with a less than second rate kunoichi for a daughter, and as heir no less. Hiashi often thought fate was playing a cruel joke on him as he placed Hinata under the care of Yuhi Kurenai. He had washed his hands of her and did not know of her again until she was choking on her own blood in the hospital. _The blood of Hyuuga is weak in her, _the elders said. _She doesn't hold promise. Our clan will only crumble under her hand. _

He visited Neji instead.

Reparations were made with his nephew, the boy-genius who was everything the clan wished for and more. He was everything Hinata was not but often struggled against his place in life unknowing that Hinata was locked up in her own version of hell as well. In Hiashi's mind the final knot was tied. His nephew finally learned the truth. He silently whispered a prayer to his brother and took Neji under his wing to teach him the secrets of the Souke.

Meanwhile Hinata rested on the hospital bed, alone.

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There was talk amongst the elders of creating a petition to remove Hinata from her position as heir. _Such weakness is unbecoming_, they said. Hiashi pretended to not hear as he warned his eldest to not be a burden to her teammates as she left for a mission. Neji heard the cold farewell and thought nothing of it--this treatment of the heir was ordinary after all--but barely contained his surprise as Hinata skillfully maneuvered away from him instead of the usual bumps and bruises, and wondered when she had learned to do that. What he didn't know was that Hinata was getting stronger everyday after he had mercilessly spilled her blood onto the cold cement floor.

He also wondered if she learned Juin Jutsu Hyuga Ichizoku Soke (1) yet. His head itched at the thought.

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Hinata knew being Hyuuga meant duty.

_Duty. _

She hated that word.

But Hinata despised her weakness even more, more than the elders did. After all, the elders did not feel the sting of rejection, the bitter loneliness, and unforgettable shame of being cast away from their own family. Yet as she danced on the water, swirling chakra around her self under the starry sky, she felt the first stirrings of hope and wondered if her efforts will be enough.

Naruto watched in awe as Hinata--shy, gentle Hinata--unleashed the power of her bloodline. As she fell from exhaustion, she thought to herself, _yes, this is enough. To see Naruto-kun's smile, this is more than enough._

Laying against Naruto's arms, she wondered if her father would ever look at her that way.

_I will be heir, _she thought_. And everyone will acknowledge me. _

She fell asleep dreaming of her father's pride and Neji's smile.

_I will be heir._

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On Hinata's return Hiashi opened his eyes for the first time.

Hinata's new jutsu astounded him and the elders, much to their chagrin. Hanabi watched open-mouthed. She could not fathom her sister's newfound strength and briefly wondered if Hinata had been reinstated as heir. Neji looked at her from the corner of his eye guessing at her thoughts so she silently reprimanded herself for thinking so selfishly. Looking back at her sister, Hanabi saw the small smile gracing Hinata's lips. Her cheeks were flushed, but it wasn't from embarrassment this time.

Hiashi's memories drifted back to the day Hinata was born, how her birth had been the cause of such pride and joy to the clan. Silently, he remembered his wife's words.

_She is strong, I can feel it. _

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(1) the jutsu to activate the Branch's seal


End file.
